Baltimore County lawmakers are off to a fast and humanitarian start in Annapolis, endorsing $3 million in state funds to support new cancer services and cerebral palsy facilities.
All but two county delegates are sponsoring bills to give the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Maryland and the HopeWell Cancer Support organizations money for their respective capital campaigns, said Del. Dan Morhaim, D-District 11, the bond bills? lead sponsor.
Morhaim said he expects the bills to be among many requests for funding.
“You put in the request and hope it will be apportioned fairly,” Morhaim said. “One of the criteria is that it helps a lot of people that can not otherwise get a lot of help and both of these cases do. I think they will have a good story to tell.”
If passed, the bills will grant $2 million for new headquarters for the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Maryland in Owings Mills, said Debbie Daskaloff, the organization?s chief development officer. The 40,000 square-foot, $13 million building will consolidate the groups? day school services and allow the agency to introduce outpatient therapeutic services, she said.
The facility also will house physical, occupational and feeding therapies, a wheelchair clinic and computer assistance programs.
“It won?t house everything, but it will be consolidating a number of services into one location to make it more convenient for the people we serve,” Daskaloff said. “It also makes it more efficient for us too.”
Daskaloff said the agency kicked off a private capital campaign in the fall, spurred by a $2 million lead donation.
With about $2.4 million raised so far, she said the organization will publicly announce its campaign in March.
The other bill would provide $1 million for a new facility for the Lutherville-based HopeWell Cancer Support organization. An official there said the agency will describe the project in greater detail after the legislation is official.
